Pollock, what did I do wrong

[justpete]

I smoked some Pollock yesterday. It was so salty I couldn't eat it.

Brine

1 gal water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tb garlic powder
1 tb onion salt
1 tb allspice
2tb white pepper

Put fish in brine for 4 hrs in the fridge.

After 4 hrs I rinsed with cold water and dried.

Smoked 2.5 hrs at 190* with apple chips

The Pollock looked very good. Nice and moist.
It was just too salty.

What went wrong?


Peter

[Habanero Smoker]

If you used Morton's kosher salt, that will be about 2 pounds of salt. I would cut it down to either one cup of kosher (~8 ounces), or one cup of pickling salt (~11 ounces).

Or you can try shorter brining times, and up the sugar; but if I were making this, I would reduce the salt, and try the same brining time.

[manxman]

Hi Peter,

The size of the pollock we keep to eat are generally in the 5 - 8 lb size range perhaps up to 10lb although we tend to throw the smaller and bigger stuff back.

We brine skinless fillets for 30 - 60 minutes depending on size in chilled brine just salty enough to float an egg in. It is rinsed briefly in cold water and dried.

I find this brining method just enough to pull some water out of the flesh and firm it up, enhancing the flavour but not make it too salty.

However this is cold smoked pollock, we tend to add the garlic / onion salt / pepper as a mild rub when cooking the fish rather than in the brine.

[justpete]

Should I have only used 1/2 cup of salt?



Peter

[Habanero Smoker]

As to 1/2 cup for a gallon of water, that would be too little. Manxman gave you some good information. He brines and smokes more fish then I would ever think of. Start with one cup, and see if a fresh egg will float, then add more if necessary, and use his brining times. You won't go wrong.

[manxman]

As to 1/2 cup for a gallon of water, that would be too little.

I agree.  :)

[Tenpoint5]

I would add that if you are going to float an eg in your brine place it in a glass of plain water first to make sure it will sink first. A bad egg will float in plain water. You don't want to know how I know this little piece of information.

[Gizmo]

Got a real "fresh" one out of the hen house I suspect.   :D

[Tenpoint5]

Let's just say Dr. Seuss wrote a book about it!!

[Slamdunk]

First of all let me say that I am new to the Bradley forum, having just bought my OBS two weeks ago, so feel somewhat nervous at  posting my thoughts on this subject because the knowledge of the people on this site is amazing!! But am not new to smoking salmon/trout. I've lived in BC all my life and my Dad was a smoker (legal stuff) of some repute. I have learned by osmosis if you will, and then learned on my own.

I've used a Big Chief/Little Chief for some 20 years and have learned through trial and error. And any Newbie out there, I give the advice to not give up if your first few tries don't quite match up to your expectations. Keep trying, it will come with experience.

However, what I have learned is that in most of the pubicized recipes/menus the salt content is WAY to high. Especially if you are going to eat your prized fish/meat in a short while ( mine don't last very long) you don't need a lot of salt in your brine. But make sure you use Non Iodized salt!!

I normally cut the recommended dosage for salt in half. But, I do add Soya sauce, which is quite salty. to compensate. I think the Soya sauce adds a nice flavor.

Hope my thoughts  help!!

[La Quinta]

Interesting slamdunk...I totally agree curing/brining is an art....gotta get your own mojo going off of recipe...I'm not a big salt fan in food...but to cure and brine properly ya gotta feel it and do the math on the salt...

[manxman]

I would add that if you are going to float an eg in your brine place it in a glass of plain water first to make sure it will sink first. A bad egg will float in plain water. You don't want to know how I know this little piece of information.

Good advice, it works just as well with a small unpeeled (again fresh)potato and it will give a brine strength of around 80 deg salinity.

If you want it any more accurate there are tables available that will tell you exactly how much salt to add to how much water to get varying degrees of salinity so you can cut the salinity and increase the time proportionately.

And just how did you find out about the bad egg floating 10.5 ....... had to ask!!  ;) :D

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Slamdunk;

Welcome to the forum.

I agree. Most recipes are brine recipes from times when brining was use to preserve. In these days of refrigeration, brining is more for flavoring, and to retain moisture. I generally go with 3/4 - 1 cup of pickling salt per gallon, or 1 cup of Morton's kosher per gallon, and use way shorter brining times.

[justpete]

slamdunk welcome to the forum. These people have been great. Thanks for your input.

As anything in smoking it is a learning experience. Next time less salt and less brine time.

Thanks for all the help.


I was able to smoke a pork shoulder on Sunday. It was great.
So the weekend wasn't a total smoking loss.


Peter

[justpete]

I would add that if you are going to float an eg in your brine place it in a glass of plain water first to make sure it will sink first. A bad egg will float in plain water. You don't want to know how I know this little piece of information.

In regards to the egg floating. What kind of egg should I use?
Chicken, Turkey, Pheasant or Quail?

I raise my own birds. ;D

But seriously I've seen a few bad eggs myself.  ;)

Peter